Circular compartmentalized bead organizer

ABSTRACT

A bead organizer including stacked rotary plates supporting concentric annular rings of upwardly open bead compartments.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to bead organizers for organizing beads for convenient access of a maximum of inventory by a jeweler or the like to work with beads of various different colors, shapes or sizes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

In the past bead organizers have typically been constructed of rectangular shape configured with fixed upwardly opening bead compartments for receipt of the various beads of different colors shapes and sizes. These devices suffer the shortcoming that the number of compartments which may conveniently be incorporated in a reasonably sized organizer are somewhat limited and the beads in the compartments are often not displayed for convenient access and comparison in complimentary shades, sizes or shapes for access by the jeweler.

It has been proposed to provide a bead work kit including a stringing and weaving tray wherein the trays are interchangeable in a kit and desk and are also capable of being used individually. The kit includes a cover having plurality of compartments for receiving beads. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0178693 to Gupta.

Other organizing boxes include a tackle and utility box formed with a pair of substantially identically shaped molded members having a converging top and bottom walls with integral side walls and matching open sides, hinged to each other along one edge. One compartmented tray is included to be hinged at its bottom edge across the open inner side one of the molded members. In the closed position the sides of the hinged compartment tray serves as a cover for the fixed compartments and both molded members. In an open position the trays can be translated in rectilinear fashion to provide access to the compartments. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,102 to Belokin.

Other efforts to provide accessible compartments includes a pill box with compartments having lids to snap shut. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,670 to Harlan.

Other efforts to provide a means for coordinating the display of complimentary colorations or the like, include a proposal that annular discs be carried from a vertical post defining a central bearing and carrying compartments for receiving containers containing respective dental components to be arranged in groups having allocated shades or the like so that the containers are displayed in a vertically elongated, conical display. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0164254 to Hegenbarth. Devices of this type, while beneficial for training dental personnel and the like and for displaying the containers in pyramidal fashion, are relatively expensive to manufacture, cumbersome to package and store and do not lend themselves to displaying beads in a relatively low profile plane for easy viewing and access.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes a stack of rotary plates, being progressively smaller in diameter and stacked on one another to leave exposed annular peripheral portions which mount respective rings of bead compartments concentric with one another for display of beads to be utilized and manipulated by a jeweler or other user. It contains a continuous channel integrated into the outer edge of each compartment that allows comparison of non-adjacent materials and the ability to visualize prospective designs. The channel provides a temporary workspace for ongoing projects while contained within the unit, thus eliminating multiple set-ups.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bead organizer apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial vertical section in enlarged scale taken along the lines 2-2 if FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial top view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a partial exploded view of the bead organizer apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a diametrical sectional view of a second embodiment of the bead organizer apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partial top plan view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The bead organizer apparatus of the present invention includes, generally, a base plate 21 of a relatively large diameter which may have one or more progressively smaller diameter plates 23, 25 and/or 27 stacked thereon. The respective plates mount at their outer annular peripheries respective concentric rings 30, 31, 33, 35 and 39, also of progressively smaller diameters to be disposed concentric with one another and configured for rotation relative to one another for disposing selected groups of compartments 41, 43, 45 or 47 of adjacent rings proximate one another for display of beads of complementary shades, sizes or shapes organized in the respective compartments.

Artistry in threading beads onto necklaces, bracelets or other forms of jewelry involves a certain talent for adjoining the beads of complementary colors, shapes and sizes proximate one another so as to be appealing to the jewelry owner. For a string involving a great number of individual beads, this can be a tedious task, particularly when the stringer is forced to search and sort for the shade, size or shape of the bead desired for the complementary combination.

Individual beads come in numerous different colors, shades and shapes and, just for the colors green or blue may have 10, 15 or 20 different hues, chroma, tone, tints or combinations thereof, such as, for instance, asparagus, dark green, fern, green, forest green, hooker's green, jungle green, laurel green, mantis green, moss green, myrtle green, pale green, pine green, sap green, shamrock green, tea green, teal and/or olive or many others. Likewise, for blue, different hues, chromas, saturation and intensity may provide a dozen or more shades and variations, including periwinkle, powder blue, light blue and/or baby blue, medium blue, Egyptian blue, ultramarine, resolution blue, dark blue, navy blue, and/or Catalina blue.

Thus, it can be seen that for efficient selection of colors for rapid stringing of the beads, ready access should be had to the particular size, shade, color or hue desired. In jewelry manufacture, a stringer is often paid on a piece by piece basis and proficiency and rapid access to the desired beads for the end product can be important. It is this objective to which the present invention is directed.

In one preferred embodiment, I have constructed my bead organizer with an approximately 18 inch diameter for the base plate 21 and have selected a total of three plates 23, and 27 to be stacked thereon, each configured with a compartment ring 31, 33, 35 and 39 having a radial dimension of approximately 1½ inches such that the radii of the rings defining the respective compartment rings 31, 33, 35 and 39 grow progressively smaller as one progresses upwardly in the stack of plates. I have selected a circumferential dimension for my compartments of % inch to provide a robust plan view for each compartment. The vertical walls have a height of between 1½ and 2 inches.

My organizer may be made of any desirable material such as plastic plates, molded plastic, stiff cardboard or the like.

The baseplate 21 is formed centrally with an upwardly projecting, conical bearing post 51 (FIG. 4) disposed at the center of the radius for the plate.

The plate 23 stacked thereon is formed at its center with an upwardly raised, conical post 53 which conveniently forms on the underside thereof a conical indentation defining a bearing cavity nested on the post 21 for centering of the plate 23 and to facilitate low friction rotation thereof on the baseplate 21. Likewise, plates 25 and 27 are also formed with bearing posts 55 and 57 which likewise, are formed on the underside with cavities to nest on the respective underlying posts and form at their top sides conical bearing post.

Conveniently, the respective compartments 41, 43, 45 and 47 are formed with respective raised bottom walls 61, 63, 65 and 67 which slope radially outwardly and downwardly to cooperate to form there over the upwardly opening compartments having limited vertical depth to thereby maintain the beads at a convenient eyelevel position and layered along the respective bottom walls 61, 63, 65 and 67 for convenient access thereto by the stringer.

Referring to FIG. 1, the smaller diameter compartment ring 39 is formed with a circular inner wall 71 which forms a cylindrical open central compartment 73 for receipt of the stringer's tools for convenient access thereto.

In the preferred embodiment, the respective rings 31, 33, 35 and 39 are formed respectively, with 40, 30, 24 and 20 compartments to thus provide a total of 114 compartments for receipt of numerous different selections of beads.

The embodiment of my bead organizer shown in FIGS. 6-8 is similar to that shown in FIGS. 1-5 except that here, the compartments are formed with the respective bottom walls 71, 73, 75 and 77 curved to form an upward concave configuration sloped radially outwardly to nest the beads radially outwardly in the respective compartments. The radially outer or inner walls may be formed with a continuous upwardly opening arcuate channel with respect to the upwardly opening arcuate channels 81, 83, 85 and 87 for convenient receipt of the workers paraphernalia and storage of beads or for ready availability. In some embodiments, the channels are broken up by radial walls and may, in some instances, may be of different sizes for receipt of paraphernalia of different sizes and shapes.

In use, it will be appreciated that the user can load the compartments with the selection of beads of various different colors, such as green, purple, yellow, pink, red, brown and other selections of shades and hues desired with the complimentary colors hues and the like in juxtaposed compartments in each ring. Then, when it is desired to string beads of a particular colorations or combination thereof, the respective rings 31, 33, 35 and 39 may be rotated to display the beads in the various compartments of the desired combination and compliment to be disposed in a pie shaped pattern for easy access to the selected compartments of each ring. The stringer may then proceed to view the beads arrayed in an arc of, say 30°-45° to rapidly select the desired beads from the respective compartments for access in the sequence and combination desired to facilitate an efficient and rapid attractive stringing process. Then, when a string is to be made up of beads of another combination or other selection, the beads of the compartments housing those beads may then be rotated into a position disposed in an arc adjacent the stringer for ready access to those beads of the desired colors, shades and hues.

It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the tops of the bottom walls 61, 63, 65 and 67 of the various compartments may bear color indicia, such as the particular shade and hue of the beads to be received in the respective compartments for easy organization, indexing and access.

When the stringing task is completed, the user may easily cover the organizer with a planer cover plate or the like to hold the beads in place in their respective compartments for easy transport and storage thereof and to preserve the current work in progress for future use without multiple set-ups.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the bead organizer of the present invention provides an economical means for organizing beads of various colors, hues, shades, shapes and sizes for ready access for achieving the stringing task and provides a maximum number of compartments to accommodate the multiples of bead choices and maintains continuing projects in an efficient manner.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with regard to the preferred embodiments and drawings thereof, it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various adaptations and modifications of the present invention may be accomplished without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the detailed description and the accompanying drawings as set forth hereinabove are not intended to limit the breadth of the present invention. 

1. A bead organizer comprising: a stack of circular rotary plates having progressively smaller plate diameters moving upwardly in the stack and including concentric peripheral portions; and concentric rings of compartment sections on the respective peripheral portions including upwardly opening compartments for receipt of beads.
 2. The bead organizer as set forth in claim 1 that includes: bearings interposed between the plates.
 3. The bead organizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the stack of plates include a base plate having a center formed with an upwardly projecting bearing post of a predetermined shape; and the stack of plates includes a second plate overlying the bottom plate and formed with a downwardly opening bearing pocket nested on the bearing post.
 4. The bead organizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the stack of plates includes at least four plates.
 5. The bead organizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the stack of plates is formed with a major diameter of at least 18 inches.
 6. The bead organizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the stack includes 4 plates; and the rings on the respective plates, from the radial outer extremity inward, are formed with forty, thirty, twenty-four and twenty compartments, respectively.
 7. The bead organizer as set forth in claim 1 that includes: indicia on the compartments to correspond with the color of beads to be received therein.
 8. The bead organizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the stack includes a base plate formed centrally with and upwardly projecting conical bearing post; and the stack includes plates stacked on the base plate and each including a raised central portion formed on the respective bottom sides with respective downwardly opening conical bearing cavities and on their respective top sides with upwardly projecting bearing posts received in the respective overlying bearing cavities.
 9. The bead organizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the compartments include peripheral walls terminating in respective upper ends disposed in a common plane.
 10. The bead organizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the compartments include vertical walls of substantially 1½ to 2 inches high.
 11. The bead organizer as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the compartments include bottom walls angling radially outwardly and downwardly.
 12. The bead organizer as set forth in claim 1 that includes: an upwardly opening channel in at least some of the compartments.
 13. A bead organizer apparatus comprising: a circular base plate formed centrally with an upstanding bearing post and at the periphery with an annular peripheral portion; a first ring of upwardly opening bead compartments mounted on the peripheral portion; a second circular plate dispose on the base plate, formed on its bottom side with a downwardly opening bearing cavity receiving the post and further formed with a second annular peripheral portion; a second ring of upwardly opening bead compartments on the second annular peripheral portion and concentric with the first ring.
 14. The bead organizer apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein: the second rotary plate is formed centrally with a third upstanding bearing post and that includes; a third circular rotary plate on the second rotary plate, formed centrally with a downwardly opening bearing cavity receiving the third bearing post and formed at with a third peripheral annular portion; and a third annular ring of upwardly opening bead compartments and mounted on the third peripheral annular portion.
 15. The bead organizer apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein: the first and second rings include respective sidewalls defining the respective compartments, the sidewalls terminating in respective upper edges disposed in a common plane.
 16. The bead organizer apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein: the second circular plate is constructed to nest removably on the base plate;
 17. The bead organizer apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein: the bearing post is conical and the bearing cavity is conically shaped to compliment the shape of the bearing post.
 18. The bead organizer apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein: the first ring is configured with approximately 40 upwardly opening compartments.
 19. The bead organizer apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein: the second ring is formed with approximately 30 bead compartments.
 20. The bead organizer apparatus as set forth in claim 12 comprising: progressing upwardly in the stack first, second, third and fourth circular plates, the respective plates formed with progressively smaller diameters, the plates configured with respective first, second, third and fourth annular peripheral portions; the respective first, second, third and fourth rotary plates formed with upstanding conical bearing posts; and the second, third and fourth plates formed on their bottom sides with respective downwardly opening first, second and third downwardly opening conical bearing cavities nested on the respective first, second and third bearing post.
 21. The bead organizer apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein: the respective rings are formed with vertical side walls terminating in respective top edges, the top edges disposed in a common plane.
 22. The bead organizer apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein: the first, second, third and fourth compartment rings on the respective annular peripheral portions and configured with a plurality of upwardly opening bead compartments.
 23. The bead organizer apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein: the first, second, third and fourth compartment rings are formed with respective 40, 30, 24 and 20 bead compartments.
 24. The bead organizer apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein: the compartments include bottom walls angling radially outwardly and downwardly. 